Chapter 86 Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival
But the girl didn't notice anything at all and continued to chat and laugh with Lu Yu and Pei Ling.
Pei Zhao's eyes dimmed slightly. He walked to Song Lingyi's side deliberately to block the peeking eyes of others, and picked up a rabbit lantern.
"This rabbit lantern is beautiful." He smiled.
The boy who had been peeking glanced at the stall again before leaving, and when he turned around, he found a person standing in front of him, and was scared.
"Still looking? Get out of here!" Lu Qian's attitude was very rude.
There are many lanterns hanging on the buildings on both sides of the street. The lantern frames are wrapped in sheepskin and painted with various patterns, which are dazzling to the eyes.
The Lantern Festival was packed with people, and the Duke and his wife were afraid of bumping into the old lady, so they found a teahouse along the street with an excellent view, where they could watch the lantern festival and take care of the old lady at the same time.
After the younger generations finished carrying the lanterns, they looked back but their elders were nowhere to be seen.
To give her cousin some time alone, Lu Yu dragged Lu Qian and Pei Ling to a street fire show. A man, holding a torch, swallowed something and blew, spewing forth blazing flames. The fire snakes danced, drawing cheers from the crowd.
Lu Qian was impatient and wanted to leave, his eyes always searching for Song Lingyi's location, but his arm was held tightly by Lu Yu and he couldn't get away at all.
The Lantern Market not only sells lanterns, but also silk, sugar paintings, cakes, yogurt... Song Lingyi walked along the way, and her stomach, which was originally only 60% full, was now almost up to her throat.
Pei Zhao held the rabbit lantern in one hand and the leftover jujube paste cake for her in the other. He watched with a gentle expression as the girl applauded and cheered for the street jugglers.
Soon, the two of them strolled to the center of the stone bridge.
It is like a magpie bridge built on the river, spanning the left and right banks. There are huge torches on each end of the bridge, with blazing flames. The water is sparkling under the bridge, and countless boats are passing by. It is a great place to watch the lights and enjoy the scenery.
"I heard from my uncle that Brother Jianzhi is going to serve as an official in the court?" Song Lingyi asked casually, leaning against the railing.
Pei Zhao hummed softly, his long, raven-feather-like hair swaying in the wind. "Master has recommended me for admission to the Hanlin Academy. I will be taking up the position in a few days."
Song Lingyi's eyelids drooped slightly, a sense of unease welling up in her heart. Since she was about to enter the court as an official, she would inevitably come into conflict with the Crown Prince, and she wondered if he would embarrass Pei Zhao.
While she was thinking, she glanced casually towards the bridge head.
As if seeing a ghost, those bright black eyes suddenly opened wide, and his heart was filled with fear and confusion.
Several strong men in tight clothes and carrying swords were scattered at the bridgehead. One of them was Xuanfeng, who had not been seen for many months.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing her subtle expression, Pei Zhao slowly turned his head to look towards the bridge. Just when he turned halfway, Song Lingyi suddenly reached out and held his head, blocking his sight.
There was a head difference in height between the two of them, and Song Lingyi had to stand on tiptoe to reach his face, shortening the distance to only half an inch.
The posture is too intimate.
As their eyes met, Pei Zhao's face gradually turned red. He clenched the hand holding the rabbit lantern tighter and tighter, and his throat rolled unconsciously.
But Song Lingyi didn't feel any ambiguity at all. Her mind was full of why Xuanfeng appeared here. Was it to capture the criminal or to capture her?
"Lingyi..."
Pei Zhao frowned when he noticed that the girl in front of him seemed nervous about something. "What happened?"
"nothing."
Song Lingyi slowly withdrew her hand and said with a wry smile, "I just saw a bug and I was a little scared."
As soon as she said this, she wanted to slap her mouth. The bridge was so clean, where did the bugs come from? Fortunately, Pei Zhao didn't ask any further questions.
After a while, Song Lingyi looked towards the bridgehead calmly.
She originally thought that Xuanfeng just happened to appear and would leave after a while, but she didn't expect that he and those strong men had already gone up the bridge and were coming towards her.
It's over, it's over.
If it happened now, things would get out of control.
Song Lingyi's heart was in turmoil. She turned her dark eyes slightly and pointed to the other side of the stone bridge. "There's a lion dance performance over there. Brother Jianzhi, let's go over and take a look."
Without waiting for Pei Zhao's response, Song Lingyi took his hand and ran to the right end of the bridge.
The moment their skin touched, Pei Zhao's heart trembled violently, and his gaze followed the hand holding his wrist and moved to the girl.
The blazing fireworks seemed to give the girl a golden glow.
The young man and girl, both with outstanding looks, ran hand in hand on the crowded right bank, and passers-by cast strange glances at them.
Young masters of aristocratic families value self-discipline and the restoration of propriety. Pei Zhao has always been emotionally stable and well-behaved. Running wildly in the streets like this was something he had never thought of in the past twenty-one years.
A lion dance performance was taking place under the memorial archway, and the sounds of gongs and drums were getting closer and closer.
Song Lingyi glanced back and saw that Xuanfeng hadn't caught up. She stopped and gasped for breath. The young man beside her didn't look at all distressed, except for the faster rise and fall of his chest.
The drumbeats became faster and faster, and the two lions leaped and moved to the beat of the drums, while the cheers of the onlookers grew louder and louder.
Song Lingyi held Pei Zhao's wrist and pushed forward.
On the attic about six or seven feet away, several revolving lanterns were hanging from the eaves.
Behind the wooden railing stood a man in a smoky black brocade robe with arrow sleeves. He had his hands behind his back, and he was tall and straight. He stood against the light, so his face could not be seen clearly.
The street market downstairs was bustling, but he stood there quietly, gazing at the memorial archway in the distance. Beside him stood seven or eight guards in tight-fitting uniforms and carrying swords, all standing silently.
The lion dance performance reached its climax. Amidst the loud cheers, the girl stood beside the young man, looking excited and laughing.
The lights on the street suddenly became dazzling.
Xiao Mingyi's expression grew increasingly gloomy.
The drumbeats stopped abruptly.
The lion dance performance ended, and the two lions walked towards the crowd with their big eyes blinking, causing a commotion around them.
Someone pushed Song Lingyi, and the two of them were separated. The crowd continued to push in one direction, and she was taken away from her original position. When she looked back, Pei Zhao was no longer there.
"Brother Jianzhi!"
"Brother Jianzhi!"
There were too many people at the Lantern Festival, and Song Lingyi's shouts were instantly drowned out by the noise.
"Miss Ali."
A familiar voice came from behind.
Song Lingyi's back stiffened slightly, and she slowly turned around, only to see Xuanfeng and several strong men with swords standing a few steps away.
Xuan Feng gave her an ambiguous smile: "What a coincidence, it's been a while, Miss A Li, are you all right?"
skillful?
Can this be called a coincidence?
It was obvious that he was following her on purpose!
While secretly complaining, Song Lingyi forced a fake smile: "It's fine. Brother Xuanfeng should be doing well too. Has he even been promoted?"
Xuanfeng smiled and didn't respond.
"His Highness is in the teahouse up ahead, why don't you go say hello, Miss Ali?"
"I don't think that's necessary." Song Lingyi kept a fake smile. "I'm looking for someone. I'll visit another day."
After saying that, she turned around and wanted to leave, but the strong men around Xuanfeng were not so easy to talk to. They put their hands on her waist, as if they would catch her in the street if she dared to leave.
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